Coaching is not a miracle cure. And many companies waste money offering coaches to managers who are simply not ready to be coached. And the quality of the coach won't change a thing...
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Why is it important to ask yourself this question before offering coaching?
If you are purchasing coaching within your companyWhether you're HR, CEO or head of a department, you must have wondered how to divide your budget between different people who could benefit from it. Bearing in mind that 12 months' individual coaching with a good professional coach often costs in the region of €10,000, and that your budget is not unlimited, you need to make sure that you are betting on the right executive.
Between Alexandra, Director of Legal Affairs, and Mickaël, manager of a sales team, how do you know who to prioritise? How can you avoid spending money on someone who isn't ready for business coaching? I'm not going to talk about group coaching here, that's the subject of another article.
The success of the coaching process depends largely on the coach's skills and the client's willingness to untangle the knots and move forward on the problem areas. But that's not all. There are a number of things you can do to help the coachee and the company to increase the chances of coaching success.
What are the signs that an executive is not ready for coaching?
- "I didn't have much to do with it" or a lack of ability to introspect
Let's take the example of Alexandra and Michael, who could both benefit from coaching. If you think of times when you've seen them in action when things went wrong, which of them always has a ready excuse? Which of them, for example, easily points to their team's lack of expertise, or lack of resources, or management's too-frequent changes of direction?
Questioning the validity of the reasons why you are proposing coaching, or blaming the context to explain poor results, is a sign to be taken seriously. Alexandra and Michael probably easily ignore criticism that doesn't fit in with their self-image. We can imagine that for them, it would be easy to ignore feedback if it is drowned in a performance review or if it is mentioned quickly in the course of a wider conversation.
A classic variation is to (re)ask on different occasions why you are suggesting coaching - when you have clearly explained why you (and/or Human Resources) feel coaching is necessary.
This is a sign that they are not sufficiently aware of themselves. As long as they don't see what others see and why it's important to be open to what others perceive, they won't be able to take an honest look at their behaviour, and the coaching sessions will be pointless.
At the end of the day, even with the best professional coaches, for a coaching programme to have a chance of succeeding, the person being coached needs to have a minimum awareness of themselves and of the effects of their behaviour on others. This raises the question: Are managers who systematically blame external factors for their problems sufficiently aware of their own role to benefit from coaching?
- And its variant "I'm a victim of the situation" or the need to remain a victim
Blaming circumstances or others may be linked to another mechanism, most often unconscious. If Alexandra or Michael believe that they are a victim, it will be much harder for them to be motivated to make things happen. and get back on track. Posing as a victim can be a sign that they are not ready to explore other versions of their story and their situation.
- "And that's it" or the absence of inner questioning
Some managers readily agree to be coached, but then avoid the introspective work that would require them to go beyond the surface.They may be ready to apply recipes to change certain behaviours, but not to question their convictions. They may be prepared to apply recipes to change certain behaviours from time to time, but not to question their convictions. And without inner questioning, it's much more difficult to achieve a different result than usual.
To put it another way, these executives see coaching in the same way as they would ask their hairdresser just to "freshen up their haircut"!
Those looking for quick solutions are often frustrated when their professional coach asks questions that require time to think. They want answers from their coach, not questions. They will want to position their coach as the knower, the expert who has the answer to their problem. Their strategy consists of trying to make coaching revolve around tactics that are easy to implement.
Although coaches sometimes make suggestions, their job is primarily to help the coachee uncover the beliefs that are fuelling their behaviour and blocking their professional development. But this type of process is of little interest to managers looking for a quick fix.
The same logic applies, Another sign to bear in mind if you have to choose between Alexandra and Michael is if one of them asks for the coaching to end quickly..
That's why you need to be on your guard against managers expecting too much in the way of quick fixes, advice and tactics. The best candidates for the coaching are more open to questioning their beliefs, which is a process that takes longer.
- "Coming soon..." or the impossible start-up
In my experience, there are two possible scenarios:
1/ Executives who can't make up their minds. Choosing a coach with whom you have a "good fit" is important, and to do this, you need to meet two or three of them. But rejecting several qualified coaches is a sign that should lead you to reflect on the maturity of the future coachees in terms of their desire for professional development.
2/ Managers who are too busy to arrange a first meeting with the prospective coaches to get to know each other. Or who choose their coach but then keep postponing the tripartite session to launch the coaching. These managers can be very sympathetic and apologise for being so unavailable. They'll tell you that they're flattered to be offered coaching, but in reality they won't manage to find enough time for it. And if you ask them what tasks or responsibilities they would be prepared to give up or delegate temporarily in order to devote time to coaching, they will find it very difficult to answer.
They lack the "space" to be accompanied, both in their diaries and in their minds. In both cases, these are defence mechanismsThis is a sign that the person is not ready and that the very idea of coaching may give rise to feelings of insecurity.
So if managers continually delay the start of coaching in order to "do more research" or "find the right person", this may be a sign that they are not ready to take action..
What questions should you ask yourself before offering coaching, to increase the chances of success?
Whenever you have to prioritise your coaching budget and choose between two executives to offer support to, here are some good questions to ask yourself. I'll use Alexandra's and Michael's examples here:
- According to your observations, on a scale of 1 to 10, what is the level of each person's desire to make a real commitment to this coaching individual Which of Alexandra or Michael really wants it, as opposed to a feeling of obligation or a strategy to make themselves look good?
- Both, Alexandra or Michael, who most sees coaching as a positive way of helping them achieve their professional goals?
- Both, who showed the most availability? What are each of you prepared to do and/or not do to make yourself available for each coaching session?
- Imposing coaching on someone who isn't ready won't help anyone. Which of them could benefit more from training or mentoring?
In addition to these questions relating to future coachees, it is important to ask yourself about your own timing, as prescribers. Consider the cost of coaching compared with training or mentoring, you may be tempted to propose coaching when you can no longer see any other solution and the situation has become critical. By then, it's often already too late to sign a coaching contract. All the blame has already been laid at the door of the person being coached and coaching becomes the solution of last resort, THE solution to all ills. It's up to you to make sure that the time is right, that it's not too late for the coaching process to have a chance of succeeding.
In conclusion, being coached can be intimidating, and not everyone is ready to accept it. By refraining from coaching people who are not ready to benefit from this type of professional development process, you will avoid placing these managers in deeply uncomfortable positions. By spending your budget on people who have shown a willingness and ability to evolve, you'll get a much better return on your investment.
